Should You Buy Organic Chocolate?

August 4, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Most of us love our chocolate. But did you know there are significant differences between the supermarket varieties, and certified organic product. Commercial interests try to dupe us into believing their product is the real thing, when it left that blissful state long ago on the way to the Supermarket.

Fair Trade

When it comes to chocolate, most of us are aware that when Europeans first took this fruit to Africa, there was child slave labor involved in Cocoa production. These days many farmers use their children to help them take care of their farms, but unfortunately unscrupulous chocolate companies such as Nestle and Hersheys, are more interested in short term profits, than the welfare of African children! Recently Cadbury announced that they are switching over to Fair Trade Chocolate after intense lobbying from consumer and green groups. Most organic chocolate, on the other hand, is certified free trade. Those wanting a clear conscience when eating chocolate will wish to make sure their favourite brand is fair trade certified!

Pesticides and Toxins

Chocolate in its raw form has been shown to have relatively low levels of toxins such as lead. Unfortunately, this is not the case after processing. Here is the result of one study.

“What’s interesting is that cocoa beans tested had an average lead concentration of < 0.5 ng/g, “one of the lowest reported values for a natural food,” the study points out. But, by contrast, “lead concentrations of manufactured cocoa and chocolate products were as high as 230 and 70 ng/g.”

“In fact, a team of American and Nigerian researchers found that lead levels in raw cocoa beans were 60 times lower than lead levels observed in processed chocolate products, the Chicago Tribune reports”.

Chocolate absorbs everything from its environment. That means that toxic substance used in manufacture are going to get into the chocolate!

Certified Organic Chocolate comes from areas where pesticides are not used. It may still have residues, but they are generally much lower. Organic chocolate is generally not processed using chemicals, often a larger source of contamination than those in the growing environment.

Additives

When selecting an organic chocolate, make sure they are not using refined sugar in the production. Commercial chocolates have quite a few additives. Here is the list from Cadbury dark Chocolate.

Sugar, Cocoa Mass, Cocoa Butter, Milk Solids, Emulsifiers (Soya lecithin, 476), Flavour. May contain traces of Nuts. Dark Chocolate contains Cocoa solids 45%.,

Unfortunately, with no certified foods, including chocolate, there is no requirement to list pesticides, herbicides, lead or other heavy metals in the product. Even the ingredients listed can come from many sources, and may be very detrimental to human health. Omission is a common practice amongst food giants to avoid scrutiny!

Conclusion

When all is said and done, Organic Chocolate is a better alternate to Commercial varieties. It does cost more and Dagoba sell a 56.7 gram square for $6.95 a piece.

Organic chocolate has many advantages, particularly if it is cold pressed and may retain much of the antioxidant and other nutrient value of the raw cocoa bean.

Chava is an organic, free trade, cold processed chocolate, combined with a natural mood enhancer and Activated Liquid Zeolite to provide a delicious combination of heavy metal detox and high potency antioxidants in the one product. Find out more about Chava at http://chocolatezeolite.com

 

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Is there such a thing as healthy chocolate?

August 1, 2010 By 3 Comments

Many chocolates claim to be healthy, but are they? Take, for instance, Cadbury Gold. They state on the label that it is 84% dark chocolate, and has a measured level of antioxidants in it. This is very misleading, as further scrutiny shows only 40% Cacao powder, and it is heat treated which destroys most of the antioxidant effect.

What Is A Healthy Chocolate?

There are a number of factors to consider when deciding whether a chocolate is healthy or not. First, the amount of Cacao powder should be at least 70%. Anything less is inferior. Clearly, all healthy chocolates are dark healthy chocolate. Then there are the pesticides and heavy metals including lead present in commercial chocolate. In fact, even Dagoba Chocolate, once considered a premium organic dark healthy chocolate, had to recall its product due to excess lead contamination. This nearly destroyed the company and it was taken over by Hersheys chocolate. Dark Healthy chocolate is at least organic, and rainforest certified to ensure you are not endorsing child slave labour or destruction of Orangutan habitat.

What About Lindt?

Some consider Lindt chocolate a healthy chocolate brand. A trip to the Lindt site, provides very little information of substance apart from glossy images of smooth milky chocolate.  Lindt have stated they intend to remove palm oil from their product in the near future and condemn child slave labor. Their chocolate is not organic.

Are There Additives In Chocolate?

Then there is vegetable oil, emulsifiers, and sweeteners. Anything more than unprocessed raw cane sugar is to be suspected as many toxic substances are used in refinement of sugar. You want your chocolate to be in as natural a state as possible. Raw organic chocolate is a very healthy chocolate option as it is very high in antioxidants. 100 grams of raw cacao powder has an ORAC value of 26,000 making it the highest level of any normal food. ORAC measures the absorption of free radicals known to cause oxidation.

Xocai

One company selling a somewhat healthy chocolate is MXI Corp. Their product Xocai, it has an ORAC value of some 16,000 for their power squares, and is not organic. Some say cacao content is around 50%, others suggest up to 70%. They even offer a healthy chocolate chip cookie!

Chava Vital Chocolate

A new player in the field is Chava Vital chocolate with Zeolite. With an incredible 37,208 PRAC value per square, this truly ahs the power to absorb those free radicals. It is certified organic chocolate and rainforest alliance, making it possibly the best healthy chocolate around. The Zeolite is a heavy metal and toxin absorber, ensuring chava Vital will not only not poison you I any way, but will reduce your body burden or toxic load.

This chocolate comes from the Americas where the Aztecs used to trade in chocolate as currency, such was the reverence paid to it many years ago. No child slave labor here!

So when it comes to healthy chocolate, Chava meets all the criteria. It is pesticide and toxin free, certified kosha, vegan organic, rainforest certified, 70% raw organic cacao, and devoid of nasty substances such as corn syrup and emulsifiers used to make most commercial chocolate cheap and smooth.

Now you have some standards to judge your chocolate by. Make sure you check these before you buy. You might be very surprised at which chocolates are actually healthy.

For more information on Chava vital Chocolate with Zeolite, go to http://chocolatezeolite.com

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Cholesterol, Chocolate and Chava

June 16, 2010 By Leave a Comment

One of the biggest challenges facing us today is the increase in LDL cholesterol levels in our bodies. LDL sticks to artery walls in the body and eventually can lead to a condition known as atherosclerosis. Unfortunately, if the artery becomes clotted it can lead to a Heart Attack or stroke. We discuss what causes high levels of LDL and ways to combat the problem. Can chocolate help combat high LDL levels, and is Chava the right type of chocolate for this?

Unfortunately, more and more people are being plagued with high LDL cholesterol levels, due to the prevalence of processed foods and pesticides and herbicides which inhibit proper nutritional absorption. So, how can we keep our cholesterol levels in check?

What Causes High LDL levels?

There are several factors leading to high LDL levels. Some you can control, while others are part of aging.

First here is what you can control.

  • Eat foods low in Saturated Fat. This raises LDL levels.
  • Avoid Trans Fatty Acids. Currently there are moves in Australia to get these banned. They are in most processed and Fast Food.
  • Foods from animal sources such as egg yolks, milk and cheese.
  • Excess Weight. If you are overweight it tends to increase your LDL level.
  • Lack of Exercise. Regular exercise stimulates the lymphatic system and tends to help reduce toxicity in the body. It also helps lower LDL and raise the good HDL levels. As we age anaerobic activity (weights and strength exercises) become more important to maintain good health. Walking 20 minutes a day can do wonders.

Now what you have little control over.

  • Genes. Some people are genetically programmed for high LDL levels. That means they have to be especially diligent on the above factors.
  • Aging. As we get older, LDL levels tend to rise. After age 55 women tend to have LDL levels higher than men and these days as women age they are catching up to men in rates of cardio vascular disease.

Combating High LDL.

  1. Soluble Fiber. A diet high in fiber will certainly help. This can be in the form of bran, oatmeal, or a fiber supplement. Superior Fiberblend has been shown in studies to significantly lower LDL cholesterol. According to The National Institutes of Health guidelines for treating high cholesterol, doctors should recommend plant sterols BEFORE prescribing statin drugs. Waiora’s Superior Fiber Blend is rich in plant sterols and soluble fiber, two ingredients proven to reduce cholesterol. It tastes good and is easy to consume in simple sachets.

  2. Fish Oil. Omega 3 is considered essential for good health these days. It is easily taken in capsule form. There are many health benefits and we all should consider an Omega 3 supplement as part of our health regime.
  3. Nuts. According to the Mayo Clinic, Almonds in particular help keep LDL levels down. Almonds are high in Flavonoids, and these antioxidants are known to lower LDL levels. “Study was co-authored by researchers at the Jean Mayer U.S. Department of Agriculture Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University and the Almond Board of California”.
  4. Olive Oil. Use of olive oil in place of other oils helps reduce LDL as well. The suggestion is 2 tablespoons a day. Naturally, uncooked is best, so adding Olive Oil to salads is particularly beneficial.
  5. Chocolate! Yes, you heard it, A report from Penn State University evaluated LDL levels in 23 subjects by giving 16 grams of dark chocolate to the subjects every day for 4 weeks. It had a favorable effect on LDL levels.

Chava Vital Chocolate is a very interesting idea when considering Cholesterol levels. Each piece contains 70% raw cocoa powder, and is infused with a mood enhancer which includes almonds. It is raw, organic, cold processed chocolate and has the addition of 5 drops of Activated Liquid Zeolite, to remove toxins from the body as well.

Conclusion

Eating Chocolate is now a proven way to limit LDL Cholesterol levels. Combined with Superior Fiberblend, we can now get cholesterol to lower levels with food! Contact the author John Gaydon at john@pems.com.au for more information.

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Chava Vital Chocolate With Liquid Zeolite

March 27, 2010 By 2 Comments

Activated Liquid Zeolite in a Chocolate Bar? What next!

Yes folks, Chava chocolate is a brand new product which combines Activated Liquid Zeolite, Organic Cold Pressed Chocolate, and a natural mood enhancer in a delicious, powerful chocolate square.

Due for release in July, this new offering means that Zeolite now tastes great! Those of us who know about Activated Liquid Cellular Zeolite understand the power of this product. The challenge has always been to keep taking those few drops a day to keep all the toxins at bay! With Chava, you can!

Organic Chocolate – As It Should Be!

Chocolate was known as the food of the Gods by the Aztecs, and even traded as “Liquid Gold” currency. Raw, organic Cocoa has one of the highest antioxidant values of any food, and many health benefits. In my research I discovered that the stuff you buy in the supermarkets has pretty well all of the nutrient value removed by processing, plus it has up to 60 times the amount of lead in raw Cocoa, making it one of the highest lead content in a food! In fact one of the organic premium brands, Dagoba, who charge $6.50 for a 56 gram square, recently recalled 40,000 pound of bars due to high levels of lead contamination. This proves that organic is not necessarily safe. The company has now been taken over by Hershey, whose chocolate has everything you don’t want in a quality chocolate.

Activated Liquid Zeolite Added For Extra Power.

With 5 drops of the only Activated Liquid Zeolite available to our knowledge, and the only Cellular Zeolite proven in a double blind peer reviewed trial, Everyone now has the chance to get great nutrition and antioxidant content, plus rid your body of toxins as fast as you get them! I know that the long term benefits of Zeolite Clinoptilolite are many and varied.

Now you can have a pure, antioxidant rich, health chocolate indulgence without lead or other toxins, infused with zeolite to detoxify your body as well as providing great nutrition. Imagine the possibilities, especially with the natural mood enhancer!

Register For More Information Now!

Register your interest in Chava Chocolate with Zeolite by filling out the form below and we will keep you up to date with developments and other useful information on the world of chocolate. Everyone should know what we’ve learned, so you can make informed choices when purchasing chocolate for your family.

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More articles on Organic Chocolate can be found at http://chocolatezeolite.com

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